It’s the final day of the Championship season and Jack Critchley believes that Sheffield United can take all three points against Premier League-bound Fulham…
Sheffield United 2.111/10 v Fulham 3.7511/4; The Draw 3.711/4
When Paul Heckingbottom replaced Slavisa Jokanovic at the end of November, Sheffield United were deeply entrenched in mid-table and were just eight points clear of the bottom three. It had been a terrible start to the season for a side who were expected to be challenging at the top end of the table, and the former Barnsley and Hibs boss appeared to be a curious appointment.
Nevertheless, the Yorkshireman has overseen a sensational five months in which the Steel City outfit have kept more clean sheets than any other side in the division. Their away form has been a mixed bag, but they have been formidable at Bramall Lane, conceding just four times in 13 home matches.
Heckingbottom, alongside Stuart McCall has galvanised an underperforming squad and they’ve managed to turn things around despite a raft of injuries to key players. The Blades have seen the majority of their strikers sidelined at some point in the last two months, however, they’ve found a way to win games and they can guarantee their play-off spot by collecting maximum points here.
Having already beaten Fulham this season, the hosts will be confident of success on Saturday lunchtime and having avoided defeat against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, they have very little to fear.
Boro and PNE to play out an entertaining 90 mins
Preston 4.77/2 v Middlesbrough 1.774/5; The Draw 4.216/5
Preston boss Ryan Lowe has insisted that his side will not hit the beach ahead of their final day fixture with play-off chasing Middlesbrough. PNE’s recent 3-1-2 record suggests that the Liverpudlian is already planning for next season, but it’s been over 14 months since they lost back-to-back home matches.
Lowe was clearly disappointed with his side’s reckless display against Blackburn at the end of last month. However, they looked far more efficient going forward last weekend as they picked apart Barnsley at Oakwell.
The Lilywhites have kept just a single clean sheet in their last eight outings and with an xGA of 1.50 across their last four fixtures, they are likely to give away a few opportunities here.
Boro’s play-off hopes are hanging by a thread and they cannot afford to drop any points on Saturday lunchtime. The Teessiders have struggled for consistency in recent weeks, although they have won back-to-back fixtures and have netted six times in their last three matches.
Chris Wilder’s side have kept a number of away clean sheets this season including four in their last five. Nevertheless, this is a now-or-never situation and they must push forward in this game.
Spirited Hatters to end the season on a high
Luton 1.558/15 v Reading 6.86/1; The Draw 4.47/2
Nathan Jones admits that he’s ‘never seen anything like it’ when it comes to the club’s current injury crisis. The Hatters were defeated 7-0 by promoted Fulham on Monday and lost influential midfielder Allan Campbell in the warm-up.
The hosts’ injury list is into double figures with Elijah Adebayo struggling with a hamstring issue, whereas Harry Cornick was only fit enough for the bench at Craven Cottage. Nevertheless, Jones’ men should still be able to put out a decent XI here and they will be determined to secure their top six spot on Saturday lunchtime.
Luton have lost consecutive matches just once so far this season and that is testament to the spirit and togetherness that is fostered by the coaching staff. The players clearly enjoy working with Jones and he will ask his players for one final push on Saturday lunchtime.
Reading are safe and Paul Ince’s side can put their feet up and relax. They have failed to register in their last two matches and have several players, including John Swift, who will be leaving the club this summer.
Rams to end the season on a high
Derby 2.285/4 v Cardiff 3.1511/5; The Draw 3.613/5
Both of these sides are using their final couple of matches to give younger players some much-needed experience. Derby’s experimental XI was good enough to overcome a lethargic Blackpool side seven days ago and they’ll be confident of repeating that result at Pride Park. Although the off-the-field issues are yet to be resolved, there is likely to be a terrific atmosphere around this stadium and Wayne Rooney and his players are likely to be given a decent send-off.
Cardiff are ending the season with a whimper, and Steve Morison is likely to have learnt plenty about his squad over the last few weeks. They’ve scored just a single goal across their last four fixtures and have produced an average xG of just 0.87 in those games. They haven’t travelled well this season, losing five of their last seven on the road.
Terrific spectacle expected in South Wales
Swansea 2.0621/20 v QPR 3.55/2; The Draw 3.953/1
Swansea’s home matches have been very entertaining in recent weeks with their last four games at this venue containing 13 goals. The Swans have been tipped as potential play-off candidates for next season and they will be looking to end the campaign on a high. Russell Martin’s men have been scoring freely, however, they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last six outings.
QPR will be saying goodbye to Mark Warburton on Saturday with the club announcing that they are set to make a change over the summer. The former Nottingham Forest boss has done a good job in West London, however, his side have suffered a huge number of injuries and their creativity has been completely nullified by the loss of key players such as Chris Willock. Nevertheless, they have scored in four of their last five and should play their part in an entertaining contest.
Mowbray era to end with a high-scoring affair
Birmingham 2.829/5 v Blackburn 2.588/5; The Draw 3.711/4
Tony Mowbray is set to depart Ewood Park this summer and he will be hoping that he can sign off on a positive note. Although his team were beaten convincingly last weekend, they did produce a sensational away display at Deepdale and the majority of their first-choice players have recently returned to full fitness. Just 42% of Rovers games have featured three or more goals this season, however Over 2.5 Goals has landed in four of their last six outings.
Birmingham can consider themselves fairly lucky to have preserved their Championship status, yet they have shown some signs of life throughout April. They’ve scored four times in their last couple of home matches, but have also leaked heavily and have conceded 15 times in their last five matches.
Forest aiming for to maintain form at the MKM
Hull 4.84/1 v Nottingham Forest 1.865/6; The Draw 3.65
Steve Cooper was left both frustrated and disappointed by Tuesday night’s narrow defeat to Bournemouth. It meant that his side were confined to the play-offs, but they remain one of the most in-form sides in the division. Having won nine of their last 11 and with an average xG of 2.00 across their last four matches, the visitors will be confident of putting their midweek defeat firmly behind them.
Hull have a terrible record when hosting top six sides at the MKM. They’ve taken just a single point from a possible 15 and have failed to score against Fulham, Bournemouth and Huddersfield.
Carnival Atmosphere at the Vitality
Bournemouth 1.991/1 v Millwall 3.953/1; The Draw 3.7511/4
Bournemouth officially secured their return to the Premier League in midweek and Scott Parker can begin planning for life in the top flight. Without necessarily catching the eye, the Cherries have been playing well in recent weeks and the normally conservative Scott Parker can take his foot off the gas for the club’s final home game of the campaign.
It would take an unthinkable set of results for Millwall to sneak into the top six, however, the Lions are unlikely to accept their fate until it has been mathematically confirmed. Gary Rowett’s side have been unusually potent going forward in recent weeks and have scored 12 times in their last five matches. They’ve also kept just a single clean sheet during that run.
Grant to punish the Tykes rearguard
West Brom 1.454/9 v Barnsley 87/1; The Draw 4.94/1
For differing reasons, it’s been a hugely disappointing season for each of these clubs. The Baggies slumped miserably into mid-table with a lack of genuine firepower having held them back. Nevertheless, the goals have Karlan Grant have provided some rare moments of joy for the WBA fanbase and the former Huddersfield striker has notched 16 times so far this campaign. He’s scored nine more than any of his teammates and having taken 104 shots (ahead of Callum Robinson’s 87), he’s always liable to notch for the hosts.
Barnsley are heading to League One and they’ll be looking for a new manager in the summer. Despite taking the lead, they conceded three times to Preston last weekend and another disappointing display could be on the cards.
Very little to separate the Potters and Sky Blues
Stoke 2.526/4 v Coventry 2.9215/8; The Draw 3.65
Stoke have endured a hugely underwhelming season, however a recent upturn in results may just be enough to save Michael O’Neill’s job. The Potters have won five of their last eight matches, but their propensity to throw away points against bottom half sides is a source of frustration amongst the fanbase. The hosts need to improve their output in the final third and they’ve managed to find the net just three times in their last four outings.
Coventry narrowly missed out on the play-offs this year, although with a greater squad depth, Mark Robins’ men could easily challenge for a place in the top six next season. They’ve been unpredictable on the road and have beaten some of the better sides in the division away from the CBS Arena. They’re unbeaten in four of their last five away matches and could easily take a point from this enocunter.
Robins to continue freescoring form
Huddersfield 1.9720/21 v Bristol City 3.9; The Draw 3.8514/5
Huddersfield are assured of a place in the play-offs, but Carlos Corberan is unlikely to let his players take a day off. The Terriers have enjoyed a tremendous campaign and they have suffered just two defeats since the end of November. At home, they’ve scored 2+ goals in five of their last six games and are creating enough chances to get on the scoresheet here.
Bristol City are ending the campaign with a flurry. If the Robins can fix their leaky defence, then Nigel Pearson’s men should be able to steer themselves clear of relegation next season. They’ve scored eight times in their last two matches and are now unbeaten in six of their last seven.
Posh and Seasiders to trade blows
Peterborough 3.185/40 v Blackpool 2.166/5; The Draw 3.9
Although they’ve failed to score in their last two outings, Posh have improved exponentially under Grant McCann and they will fancy their chances of ending the season on a positive note. Although an average xG of just 0.98 across their last four matches would suggest that there is still work to do, they will be confident of finding a way past a Seasiders’ defence which has kept just two clean sheets on their travels since the end of October.
Blackpool put in a disjointed and lethargic performance against Derby last weekend, although Gary Madine did spurn an opportunity to put the Seasiders in front. The visitors have scored in 10 of their last 11 away games, and should be able to find a way past Posh’s dodgy defence.
Source: Betfair UK English Championship
